Where does “cuckoo” come from?
Cuckoo comes from Middle English cokkou, from Old French cucu, from Latin cuculus, a word of imitative origin denoting the bird.
cuckoo (English): Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae,...
Definitions
- Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae,...
Ancestry of “cuckoo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cokkou | The cuckoo; The sound a cuckoo makes |
| 2 | Old French | cucu | cuckoo |
| 3 | Latin | cuculus | cuckoo; a term of reproach |
Words derived from “cuckoo”